Rick Tetzeli, Executive Editor of Fast Company and coauthor of Becoming Steve Jobs, had the chance to sit down with Tim Cook for a reasonably long Q&A. Presumably, this interview was done as background for the book.

AUSTIN—You know we’ve reached peak South by Southwest when a Republican senator from Kentucky chooses that event as the launch pad for his personal brand. (Ok, maybe it is pretty fitting after all, seeing as it’s a giant launch pad for anything and everything you can think of.) Senator Rand Paul took the stage on Sunday to talk tech shop with moderator Evan Smith from the Texas Tribune.

He didn’t use the panel as an opportunity to announce a presidential campaign for 2016, but he kind of hinted that it would be coming around the corner. His actions scream of candidacy: He just opened an office in Texas, he’s experimenting with social media, and he’s making the press rounds. He certainly knew how to butter up the crowd in Austin.

In an interview with Fast Company, Apple CEO Tim Cook took questions about the legacy of Steve Jobs, the Apple Watch, and Apple’s future. Cook defended the Apple Watch by comparing it to the original iPod, whose critics questioned its purpose and price. As for current critics who say that Apple is changing, Cook points out that the company also changed under Jobs, who Cook described as “the best flipper in the world.” But he said that the one thing that will never change at Apple is its core values.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and...

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Photoshop, CreativeLive asked eight Photoshop experts to each try to complete a project in Photoshop 1.0. The video is funny, and it shows how far photo editing (and computing) has evolved over the past quarter-century.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Barbie, who turns 56 this year, finally may get a voice of her own -- but opponents are working hard to keep the talking version of the iconic doll out of children's hands -- and homes. Mattel plans to bring out Hello Barbie in time for Christmas. However, child advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has organized an online petition calling on Mattel CEO Christopher Sinclair to stop production of the toy. It's not so much Hello Barbie's talking -- it's her listening that has parents up in arms.

Q4OS has the potential to become a new attention-getter among up and coming Linux distros. But this distro has a way to go before its development reaches full functionality. Right now it is working its way to a non-beta version 1.0 release. New beta versions are frequently released, often a few weeks to a month apart. The latest release was version 0.5.25 on February 4. This new distro is fast and runs extremely well on low-powered aging computers.

AUSTIN—On-demand transit app Uber is ubiquitous, but it typically hogs the ride-sharing spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Lyft is perfectly content to let its rival soak up the negative attention, because despite the constant comparisons between the two apps, their approach to business nothing alike.

Lyft has a reputation for friendliness. While its cars are no longer decked out in fuzzy pink mustaches (which some of us actually liked), the dashboard glowstache replacement is a welcoming sign. Riders hop in the front seat and get to know their drivers, though the introductory fist bump is no longer mandatory. Lyft hasn’t jumped into international markets like Uber because it wants to establish ride-sharing as a de facto public transportation system in the States first.

Apple is supposedly making a long play for augmented reality systems that one analyst believes will potentially pivot on the company's current push into fashion, an initiative set to bear fruit with Apple Watch in April.

If you've been wondering about the fuss over the speedier HTTP/2 web standard, you now have an opportunity to check things out first-hand. Google has released the first version of its experimental Chrome Canary browser with support for the final draf...

I've been trying to backup a Xsan 4 Volume (10.10.2) on promise vtrak E610F with no luck .
once I've been trying host the Time Machine backup drive on OS X Server 10.0.2 and use it on one of the Xsans' clients .
every time the backup finishes , the client is trying to backup the all Xsan volume again and no incremental with an error message "Backup volume is out of space , find another place to backup to... "
alternatively , I've tried to connect the backup Volume and run the backup direct from there ,
but again it's not backup it incrementally , and running out of space after it's first backup .
am I missing something about xsan4 compatibility ?

Here's the first X-class solar flare of 2015, which erupted on March 11th. Here's the good part: it was so powerful it caused radio blackouts in many parts of the globe. According to NASA, it was an X2 flare: an explosion on the sun's surface that's ...

Tuesday March 17

I have roughly 100TB on xsan, and would like to backup this data onto another san. I'm wondering if there are software out there that does good compression with video files. Allocating another 100TB would be so costly, son wondering how does every backup their data.

Light therapy is a safe, easy way to kill cancer and treat other diseases, but it's normally limited by its nature to illnesses that are skin-deep. Washington University researchers aren't daunted, however. They've developed a phototherapy method tha...

3D printers can build anything from prosthetics and musical instruments to Hershey chocolates. But, even as the technology continues to make strides with materials (metal, concrete, etc.) and takes on full-fledged architectural projects, it seems to ...

Rumors surrounding Apple's purported subscription online television service are gathering steam, as a report on Tuesday claims Discovery and Viacom are in talks over partnership possibilities, joining other major content providers for what could be a disruptive product launch later this year.

Microsoft's leaner, meaner, latest iteration of Windows is coming in just a few months, and it's launching in 170 countries, in 111 languages. Don't forget: Windows 10 is a free upgrade if you're already using Windows 7 or 8. Hiding in its imposing s...

Catch up on today's top stories in the Daily Roundup. Nintendo talks about its next-generation console and mobile gaming. Meanwhile, Google decided to remove the steering wheel from self-driving vehicles because humans are "unreliable" and a new web ...

Apple is apparently bending over backwards to make sure that its oft-rumored streaming TV service gets off the ground. New York Post sources claim that the company is willing to share viewer data with the networks, including demographics and viewing ...

Recently discovered public documents show Apple has leased two buildings at Main Street Cupertino, an upcoming mixed use development currently under construction across from Apple's Campus 2 headquarters.

It isn't the motion of the ocean that matters so much as what you do with the waves. At one Australian naval base, those waves are being put to use providing steady streams of both electricity and potable water, all while generating zero emissions. I...

It's time to save some of your hard-earned money with our Daily Deals, featuring exclusive deals for AWT readers, hardware discounts and our own handpicked iOS and OS X sales. All prices are USD and subject to change. Please check prices before you purchase as some deals may expire quickly.

AWT's Daily Deals

MacPhun Focus [Now free, down from $9.99] To celebrate the launch of AppleWorld.Today, photo software developer Macphun is offering their popular Focus app for Mac for FREE readers of AWT.

This nifty photo software allows anyone to do a couple of super-cool things: (a) direct attention to the most interesting part of your photo and (b) use tilt-shift and motion blur effects towards...

Unfortunately, the days of massive health care data breaches are far from over. Premera Blue Cross has revealed that hackers breached its insurance customer data starting in May 2014, potentially exposing both the financial and medical records of 11 ...

An anonymous reader writes: According to a Wall Street Journal report (paywalled) Apple is in negotiations with media companies to develop an online TV service. The service will include a bundle of roughly 25 channels, so less popular channels will have a very difficult time fighting for a spot. Most major networks should be present, although NBC's participation is dubious because of its ties to Comcast, which would be in direct competition with Apple's service. "If Apple can offer a comprehensive, albeit slimmed-down, bundle for $30 to $40 a month, that could force distributors to cut prices or eat into margins to retain subscribers. At Comcast, for example, average video revenue per user should be about $79.45 in 2015, according to UBS. Meanwhile, its programming costs per average subscriber should be about $39.60. Those costs may need to rise. That roughly 50% gross margin looks vulnerable."

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on ColorStrokes, the new Adventures of Poco Eco - Lost Sounds game, and an update to VSCO Cam. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.

iOS Apps Now Free

ColorStrokes [Now free, down from $1.99] iPhone version of the most popular Color Splash app for Mac.

Boom Boat [Now free, down from $1.99] An unknown menace is lurking at the bottom of the sea.

Quotes Folder [Now free, down from $0.99] Collect and share the quotes and famous phrases you love. Includes quotes in 5...

Zeroing in on the precise source of gunfire is next to impossible in densely packed cities like New York City. Shots reverberate off of building facades, obscuring the shooter's location and costing law enforcement precious response time. But with a ...

Apple has added dozens of new banks and credit unions to its list of institutions that support its Apple Pay mobile payment service. The new banks include several credit unions from around the United States as well as Charles Schwab Bank, RBC Bank, and other notable additions. The more than 30 banks added today are rolling out ahead of next month’s Apple Watch launch which will support making Apple Pay payments in stores. Below is the list of newly added banks as well as the full list of banks and credit unions where Apple Pay is currently supported:

Redesign your home with Planner 5D, use AudioMate for your audio controls, and more

This week’s roundup of new Mac apps includes an app that helps you keep up with your favorite musicians, an app that can batch-convert your photos to different file formats, and an app that helps you calculate fractions (so you don't have to!).

A report on Tuesday points out that a recent SSL/TSL vulnerability dubbed "FREAK" is not restricted to Web browsers and can affect mobile apps, leaving hundreds of iOS apps open to potential man-in-the-middle attacks.

Apple recently picked up approximately 260,000 square feet of office space not far from its new Campus 2 project in Cupertino, as noted in a lease discovered this week by Silicon Valley Business Journal.

The buildings are part of a new, downtown-style mixed-use center rapidly taking shape next to Vallco Shopping Mall… Apple Inc., brokers with real estate services firm DTZ and the property owner either declined to comment or didn’t respond to my requests, but the lease was disclosed in a document filed with the county on Monday.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is getting ready to launch an internet-based TV service this fall. Interestingly, though, one of the most prominent US television networks, NBC, reportedly won't be a part of the technology giant's upcoming...

Ford may have ditched Microsoft for the next generation of its Sync interface, but that doesn't mean Microsoft no longer has a place in Blue Oval's cars. If anything, it's more important than ever. Ford has unveiled the Service Delivery Network, a cl...

By faith and begorrah, it's St. Patrick's Day, so grab a green beer and listen in on your friendly leprechaun Steve O'Sande who is bringing you the Apple news o' the day.

According to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, it appears that Apple will finally offer a streaming TV service later this year, making it easier and more affordable for people to cut the cable subscriptions.

The Facebook Messenger app for iOS is rolling out a new feature that lets friends send money to each other.

TidBITS reports that iCloud is having issues receiving messages from Gmail.

Apple wins a $100 million patent licensing lawsuit after losing a big one last month.

Apple has its own magnetic charging bracelet for Apple Watch, but it will likely be limited to retail displays to keep devices on retail store floors charged for extended periods of time. In addition, the company has developed a special case capable of storing and charging 10 Apple Watches at once, allowing retail employees to help customers wanting to try the Apple Watch on in-store.

An FCC application for the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Bracelet was recently published online detailing “a stainless steel magnetic charging bracelet which includes an inductive charging coil to charge the Apple Watch.” The bracelet is attached to a 1-meter cable, allowing all of the Watches under Apple’s...

While almost all the attention paid to the HTTPS-crippling FREAK vulnerability has focused on browsers, consider this: thousands of Android and iOS apps, many with finance, shopping, and medical uses, are also vulnerable to the same exploit that decrypts passwords, credit card details, and other sensitive data sent between handsets and Internet servers.

Security researchers from FireEye recently examined the most popular apps on Google Play and the Apple App Store and found 1,999 titles that left users wide open to the encryption downgrade attack. Specifically, 1,228 Android apps with one million or more downloads were vulnerable, while 771 out of the top 14,079 iOS apps were susceptible. Vulnerable apps were those that used—or in the case of iOS, could use—an affected crypto library and connected to servers that offered weak...

The jury deliberated for about five hours before delivering its verdict on Monday night. The company, whose patents were originally held by Nokia Corp, was seeking $100 million in damages at trial. It said it was entitled to a portion of Apple’s device sales, and of similar, future devices. Apple pegged damages, if any, at less than $1 million.

The jury also rejected Apple’s claim that Core Wireless breached its obligation to license its patents, which are considered essential in the industry, on fair and non-discriminatory terms.

So what happens to these patents now? Apple basically said it would be happy paying under $1 million, but the jury said they had to pay nothing. Are the patents worthless? Oh the patent system is so confusing.

You wouldn't expect to be let in to a fine art auction wearing nothing but tighty whities, but starting April 1st, no one's going to be able to stop you. Sotheby's has teamed up with its digital counterpart, eBay, to launch its long-promised digital ...

Ahead of the Apple Watch launch next month, Apple has removed language from its website signaling it has received all necessary final approvals from the US Federal Communications Commission.

Up until today, Apple’s website included the following footnote noting that the device had not yet been authorized by the FCC for sale:

This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

While the language on Apple’s site only refers to the FCC, Apple is likely required to gain approvals from authorities in some of the other countries receiving the device next month. Apple will launch Apple...

iCloud users are reporting problems receiving email messages sent from Gmail. There doesn’t appear to be anything that can be done about it, other than pointing Gmail-based correspondents to an alternative email address.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Apple plans to incentivize participation in its upcoming TV service by offering to share data with its programming partners, the New York Post reports. A report earlier today revealed that Apple is planning a web TV service expected to be released this fall, and this latest information indicates that the company has found it necessary to make certain concessions to get broadcast networks and others on board. Shared data would include who the viewers…

My cable provider is pretty terrible. I don’t need to name any names because this likely applies to your cable provider as well. They are all horrible. I often experience drops on popular channels, get bonus filler channels that no one wants, and see indiscriminate additional subscription fees and charges without any real reason. This Onion article, though it is satire, doesn’t stray too far from the truth.

For a very casual TV watcher, it’s not a great experience – to put it mildly.

So the prospect of an Apple web TV service with a price tag of around $40, as the WSJ and others reported last night, is highly appealing to me if it means I can catch the few shows I watch now without the hassle of my cable...

PowerSkin introduced its Pop'n 2 battery pack last October, and the company has already released a new edition, Pop'n 3 ($50). While Pop'n 2 relied on a separate Lightning connector to attach the pack to an iPhone, Pop'n 3 includes a built-in Lightning cable — the pack can also come with a micro-USB connector instead. As expected from Pop'n, the pack's suction cups remain, enabling the battery to stick to the back of an iPhone. The phone can then be used while charging. Pop'n 3 also has a circular sticky pad in the middle. Like Pop'n 2, Pop'n 3 uses a 4000 mAh battery.{/exp:char_limit}

Facebook has today announced it is rolling out a new feature for users that will let friends send money to each other, through its Facebook Messenger app. Like similar services, a simple tap allows users to send a cash amount to their recipient in a single step.

Users must first associate a Visa or MasterCard debit card to their Facebook accounts. Then, a ‘$’ symbol appears in the Facebook Messenger user interface alongside the chatbox. Sharing credit card information with Facebook is a dangerous prospect for many people, although the company says it will not monetize the service ‘at this time’. For the time being, sending money has no charge per transaction above the cash...

Becoming the fastest of its kind is just a byproduct of the ATRIAS robot's primary objective. Oregon State University's biped is the focus of a loftier goal: to build an entire industry on its leg locomotion mechanics. ATRIAS -- for "Assume The Robot Is A Sphere" -- has its origins at OSU, but there are three prototypes of the bird-like bot. The other two are in labs at the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon, which collaborated with OSU on development of the robot's controls.

With rumors flying about an Apple television subscription service in the works for release this year, new details have started to emerge about what kinds of deals the tech company will make with its content partners. The NY Post says that these deals will involve Apple turning over certain data about its users to programmers to help solidify its agreements.

Apple is reportedly giving TV partners a lot of leeway, allowing each network to decide how...

After the iPad was announced -- but before it actually appeared in stores -- a friend of mine here in Denver created some mock iPads made by printing up a full-size image of an iPad and then gluing it onto Foamcore. The result was convincing enough that I walked into an Apple Store with the mockup and got more attention than I wanted from employees and customers alike. Well, now you can see how an Apple Watch in any size and with most bands will look on your wrist, thanks to ExactFitnessApps.

If you were hoping for a tangible reason to invest in a new 2015 MacBook Air, it might have arrived in the form of a faster solid state drive.

Last week, Apple refreshed its MacBook Air lineup, adding Broadwell chips and Intel 6000 graphics. Both models received the same processor updates, but the 13-inch MacBook Air got an extra boost in the form of new PCIe-based flash storage that Apple says is “up to two times faster” than the flash storage used in the previous generation MacBook Air. The 11-inch MacBook Air did not receive the same flash storage update.

The newest revision of Apple's littlest MacBook Pro packs faster flash memory and Intel's latest Broadwell chips, but the star of the show is its new Force Touch trackpad. AppleInsider went hands-on with the clickless wonder to see if it upholds Apple's tradition of finger-navigating excellence.

Sometimes you’ve got to do what the investors tell you to do, even if it means bringing the crown jewels to other platforms.

Still, the upside is that it brings Mario to your iOS device.

Nintendo announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Japanese mobile game maker DeNA to jointly develop games for smartphones, tablets and PCs, meaning that new titles based on iconic franchises such as Mario, Pokemon and Zelda could soon be available on devices such as iPhone, iPad and Mac. Nintendo will purchase a 10% stake in DeNA for US$182 million as part of a cross-shareholding deal.

Apple has reportedly offered to partially open its customer data trove to content owners if they sign on to its new web television initiative, marking a stark turn for the company that has traditionally balked at sharing information with partners.

It’s a bit of deja vu as Steve and Ross check out a very different kind of connected lock from the Sesame lock and a MIDI alternatives to Opho Keys, both discussed in Episode 9, In this first double-digit episode, the podcast takes on:

the Artiphon INSTRUMENT 1, a MIDI instrumen t that not only offers a symphony full of sounds, but a multitude of ways to play

a new connected lock and alarm for bicycles and motorcycles called the ...

Numerouscomplaints in Apple’s discussion forums have spotlighted a problem preventing iCloud.com and me.com email addresses from receiving Google Gmail messages, with delays lasting hours or days. Noted in reader tips and confirmed by 9to5Mac, the issue occurs when a message is sent from a Gmail account to an @iCloud.com or @me.com address, resulting in an extended delivery delay and/or this failure message from Apple’s servers:

Some new photos posted to Instagram from the set of the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic have given us our second look at star Michael Fassbender in the lead role as the Apple co-founder (via MacRumors). One of the photos, seen above from Instagram user “raqu3l” shows Fassbender as Jobs filming on a street outside the San Francisco Opera House.

The second photo (seen below, via Instagram user “seannung”), features a prop poster from the same location. On the poster, Fassbender poses with the NeXT Computer. That imagery, paired with a NeXT slogan, logo, and a quote from Steve Jobs, indicates that production crews are filming scenes surrounding the unveiling of the first NeXT product. That machine was revealed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall...

Traveling light doesn’t mean that you don’t have a need to connect to peripherals and high-speed Ethernet, so lightweight USB hubs and Ethernet adapters are worth their weight in gold when you’re a road warrior. Today we’re looking at Inateck’s 3 Port USB 3.0 Hub with Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (HBU3VL3-4) (US$39.99 MSRP, $22.99 on Amazon), a top-rated hub on Amazon and a handy piece of equipment to have in your laptop bag.

Specifications

Dimensions: 4.33 x 1.26 x 0.79 inches (110 x 32 x 20mm)

Weight: 2.09 oz (59 grams)

Cable Length: 11.81 inches (300mm)

Interface: USB 3.0 (three) and RJ45 (one, Gigabit Ethernet)

Design

Since Apple’s new USB-C MacBook won’t be out for another three weeks, that means that most of us have two methods of connecting peripherals to our MacBooks — USB and Thunderbolt. The Inateck 3 Port Hub...

The Sling TV subscription service is now available on Xbox One, and will add A&E, History, and Lifetime later this month, expanding its offerings as new rumors suggest Apple plans to compete with its own subscription service starting this fall.

Despite being cut out of negotiations to be included in Apple’s stripped-down TV subscription service, NBC is still aiming at having an app on Apple TV by the second half of 2015, 9to5Mac reports. The NBC app would function like content apps for TV channels currently available on Apple TV, requiring a verifiable cable subscription to function. The other major networks — ABC, CBS and Fox — will reportedly be included in Apple’s own…

A new excerpt from the upcoming biography Becoming Steve Jobs illustrates some of the lesser-known aspects of the Apple co-founder's life, including succession plans, his decline, and his involvement with Campus 2, the new Apple headquarters under construction in Cupertino.

Facebook on Monday issued a new set of community standards, including provisions designed to clamp down on revenge porn, bullying, threats and other forms of online harassment. "We have zero tolerance for any behavior that puts people in danger, whether someone is organizing or advocating real-world violence or bullying other people," wrote Monika Bickert, head of global product policy, and Justin Osofsky, vice president of global operations, in a letter posted online.

A new video posted by the software dev today shows an Android Wear watch working with the iPhone’s calling function. In the video, an incoming call on the iPhone is answered using the Android watch. Abu-Garbeyyeh says he simulated the gesture to answer to phone call on the watch in software to avoid filling the video frame with his hand, but the functionality works perfectly just as it would with an Android device.

Pivots for iPhone (free with in-app purchase) is a clever little game that makes me question my addition skills. The premise is simple: arrange a row of numbers so that they add up to 15. Succeed and gain points. Fail, and lose time from the ticking clock. Here's our look at Pivots.

First off, Pivots is a nice-looking game. The four toolbar icons -- help, leaders, restore and share -- are minimal and convey their function clearly. The logo is cute, too, with a "heavy Sharpie marker" feel, and the friendly "Play!" button belies the tricky task at hand.

The game presents a 5x5 grid of single-digit numbers, all color-coded on a field of black (all 5's are yellow, 4's are purple and so on). As the game begins, you have 45 seconds to arrange rows so that they add up to 15. To arrange a row you may "pivot" an L-shaped, three-number section of blocks. Do so correctly and the new alignment will create at...

My feelings for Nintendo are complicated. I’ve loved its games ever since the original Donkey Kong, owned every Nintendo console (including the Virtual Boy), and recommended the Wii U as the best game console for families and kids. But if I was mildly displeased with Nintendo as a company during its haughtiest years — the time when most of its key third-party developers walked away — I’m downright angry with it today. At a press conference in Japan this morning, Nintendo announced its second collaboration with a mobile game publisher in two months, the headline from which was what millions of people have been waiting years to read:

Despite reports that NBC Universal is not involved in negotiations for Apple’s upcoming subscription TV replacement service, NBC still hopes to arrive on the Apple TV as soon as the second half of 2015, according to a source with knowledge of NBC’s digital roadmap. A recent presentation slide provided by the source shows that NBC wants to launch Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox apps during the second half of this year, following its existing apps for iOS and Android devices. NBC also would like to add new affiliate stations, Nielsen Rating integration, and support for...

There’s now a reward system in place for turning non-iPhone smartphones in to Apple.

Sources have stated that Apple is planning to add Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone handsets to the list of acceptable trade-ins for its Reuse and Recycling Program, which exchanges used hardware for Apple Store gift cards.

Apple is apparently preparing to expand its Reuse and Recycling Program to include non-iOS handsets, including hardware running iOS nemesis Android.

Under Apple’s current program, first launched in 2011, iPhone users can nab an Apple Store gift card worth up to US$175 for a fully functional 64GB iPhone 5s. The company will reportedly offer similar deals...

The technology giant is in talks with programmers to offer a slimmed-down bundle of TV networks this fall, according to sources. The service would have about 25 channels, anchored by broadcasters such as ABC, CBS and Fox and would be available on Apple devices such as the Apple TV, they said.

For now, the talks don’t involve NBCUniversal, owner of the NBC broadcast network and cable channels like USA and Bravo, because of a falling-out between Apple and NBCUniversal parent company Comcast Corp., the people familiar with the matter said.

Need to go beyond Apple’s Contacts app? BusyContacts — by the same folks who brought you BusyCal — is for those who need to manage relationships with contacts or are just plain dissatisfied with Apple’s bare-bones offering.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

A federal jury has found that Apple did not infringe on five wireless technology patents, Reuters reports. The patents are owned by Canadian company Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc., which bought Core Wireless Licensing Sarl and its 2,000 Nokia patents and patent applications in 2011, including the communications protocols for the 2G, 3G and 4G standards on which most mobile communication is based. Core Wireless sued Apple in 2012,…

After years of depending solely on automated processes to weed out malicious or otherwise undesirable apps from Google Play, the search giant announced on Tuesday that it has added human reviewers to the mix in a move that more closely aligns its practices with Apple's.

If you are looking for a unique apartment, you should check out this living space located inside an Apple Store building. As noted by ifoapplestore, this two-bedroom, two-bath luxury apartment in Brisbane, Australia costs US$495,000 and includes amenities such as an in-building fitness center, access to an underground car park and a swimming pool. The building is a historic site, serving as General Douglas MacArthur’s Pacific headquarters during World War II.

The MacArthur’s Chambers building isn't the first location to combine living space with an Apple Store. Lodging also is available in five other Apple Store locations including the Pudong China, Opéra (Paris) and Princes Street (Edinburgh) stores.

Our take on the news:
Living near an Apple Store may be a memorable experience, but you better make sure you...

I’m a self-confessed smartwatch skeptic. Early attempts like the original Pebble just seemed to me an extremely ugly solution in search of a problem. Some of the later models, like the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R (as well as the rather familiar-looking latest Pebble), overcame the ‘ugly’ part, but I still couldn’t see a reason to want one. I haven’t worn a watch for more than a decade, and smartwatches weren’t showing me any reason to change that.

Rumors of an Apple-created television service have been around for almost as long as the rumors about an Apple-created television set, but a new report from the Wall Street Journal suggests we may know more soon. The WSJ claims that Apple will be launching a 25-or-so channel TV service for $30 or $40 a month that would include ABC, CBS, Fox, and various subsidiary channels like ESPN and FX.

NBC is not part of the current talks, apparently because of conflicts with parent company Comcast. Apple's plans had previously been expected to include some kind of partnership with cable companies, combining their infrastructure and content with Apple's hardware and software. The Journal says those plans have been nixed, again because of...

Nintendo today announced that it is partnering with Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA to produce smartphone games featuring Nintendo characters.

Nintendo and DeNA intend to jointly operate new gaming applications featuring Nintendo IP, which they will develop specifically for smart devices. Consequently, Nintendo expects to benefit from new business opportunities as more consumers encounter Nintendo IP, and DeNA expects to strengthen its core business of mobile gaming internationally through the use of Nintendo IP.

The games will be original titles, optimized for the smartphones and not ports of existing games on the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS.

Our take on the news:

It's about time Nintendo embraced iOS and other smartphone gaming platforms.

An anonymous reader writes Ex-NSA and NASA researcher Patrick Wardle claims to have developed a reliable technique of Shared Library replacement which renders Apple's OSX operating system just as vulnerable to exploitation as Windows has been (via its 'DLL' shared libraries) for years. Speaking at CanSecWest, Wardle explained that Apple's refusal to encrypt software downloads via its App Store allows an attacker on the same network to inject a malicious 'dylib' (shared library) without altering the hash of the legitimate-but-vulnerable software, thereby leaving the Developer ID signature intact. Wardle ran a crafted Python script on a typical Mac and discovered 150 dylib-dependent applications, including Apple's own Xcode developer environment — revealed last week by Edward Snowden to be a priority target for the NSA due to its ability to propagate compromised software.

Jony Ive's design team has begun to emerge from the shadows, with some of Apple's elite cadre of designers featured on the company's revamped jobs microsite -- in a photo apparently taken within its top-secret industrial design lab.

Apple's long-rumored subscription TV service is reportedly back on track and will launch this fall.

The Apple streaming service will launch with roughly 25 channels, including broadcast networks such as ABC, CBS, and Fox, according to the Wall Street Journal's sources. Some media executives think Apple will charge between $30 and $40 per month.

It's unclear what other channels will be part of the bundle. Apple is negotiating with several media companies including Disney (which owns CBS ABC and ESPN) and Fox (which owns FX).

NBCUniversal is reportedly not on board due to a feud between Apple and NBC parent company Comcast. The two companies were reportedly working together on a streaming video service last year, but Apple eventually felt that was being strung along by Comcast as the cable giant worked on its own TV overhaul, called...

Nintendo will finally develop games for smartphones, The Wall Street Journal reports. The company that for years refused to cater to the smartphone market has partnered with Japanese game provider DeNA Co. to set up a new mobile game platform, which should debut this fall. Analysts say Nintendo’s reluctance to license its characters has come at a heavy cost as the gaming industry shifted to smartphones. Nintendo posted three straight years of…

As production of the Apple Watch ramps up ahead of its April 24 launch, Apple is apparently still facing yield issues, and continues to tweak its suppliers as it works to bring the wearable device to market.

PvtVoid writes with this report from the New York Times, excerpting: An industry consultant, Cherian Abraham, put the fraud rate [for Apple Pay] at 6 percent, compared with a traditional credit card fraud rate that is relatively minuscule, 10 cents for every $100 spent. [i.e. one tenth of one percent]. The vulnerability in Apple Pay is in the way that it — and card issuers — "onboard" new credit cards into the system. Because Apple wanted its system to have the simplicity for which it has become famous and wanted to make the sign-up process "frictionless," the company required little beyond basic credit card information about a user. Nor did it provide much information to the banks, like full phone numbers and addresses, that might help them detect fraud early. The banks, desperate to become their customers' default card on Apple Pay — most add only one to their iPhones — did little to build their own defenses or to push Apple to provide more detailed information about its...

The Touch ID-based cross-platform Mac unlocking tool MacID has been updated to version 1.1, temporarily going free for a limited window, while Airbnb has added new conditional rules to its iPhone app, and Target has updated its iPhone shopping with new Store Search and customization options.

The BBC last week announced that it would give programming PCs to 1 million students through its Make It Digital initiative, an effort to spark greater interest in technology. The 11- and 12-year-old UK school children will receive Micro Bit, a stripped-down computer that can be worn on a lanyard. Similar to the Raspberry Pi, the Micro Bit is a programming computer designed to serve as an entry point for individuals interested in coding. The BBC has partnered with more than 25 technology companies to propel the Make It Digital initiative.

Software Updates via MacUpdate

MacFamilyTree 7.3.4 - Create and explore...

MacFamilyTree gives genealogy a facelift: it's modern, interactive, incredibly fast, and easy to use. We're convinced that generations of chroniclers would have loved to trade in their genealogy... Read more

Yummy FTP 1.10.2 - FTP/SFTP/FTPS client...

Yummy FTP is an FTP + SFTP + FTPS file transfer client which focuses on speed, reliability and productivity.
Whether you need to transfer a few files or a few thousand, schedule automatic backups, or... Read more

VueScan 9.5.08 - Scanner software with a...

VueScan is a scanning program that works with most high-quality flatbed and film scanners to produce scans that have excellent color fidelity and color balance. VueScan is easy to use, and has... Read more

Iridient Developer 3.0.1 - Powerful imag...

Iridient Developer (was RAW Developer) is a powerful image conversion application designed specifically for OS X. Iridient Developer gives advanced photographers total control over every aspect of... Read more

Air Video Server HD 2.1.0 - Stream video...

Air Video Server HD streams videos instantly from your computer on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple TV. No need to worry about converting or transferring files.
We took everything that was... Read more

Duplicate Annihilator 5.7.5 - Find and d...

Duplicate Annihilator takes on the time-consuming task of comparing the images in your iPhoto library using effective algorithms to make sure that no duplicate escapes.
Duplicate Annihilator... Read more

BusyContacts 1.0.2 - Fast, efficient con...

BusyContacts is a contact manager for OS X that makes creating, finding, and managing contacts faster and more efficient. It brings to contact management the same power, flexibility, and sharing... Read more

Capture One Pro 8.2.0.82 - RAW workflow...

Capture One Pro 8 is a professional RAW converter offering you ultimate image quality with accurate colors and incredible detail from more than 300 high-end cameras -- straight out of the box. It... Read more

Backblaze 4.0.0.872 - Online backup serv...

Backblaze is an online backup service designed from the ground-up for the Mac.With unlimited storage available for $5 per month, as well as a free 15-day trial, peace of mind is within reach with... Read more

Little Snitch 3.5.2 - Alerts you about o...

Little Snitch gives you control over your private outgoing data.
Track background activity As soon as your computer connects to the Internet, applications often have permission to send any... Read more

Pie In The Sky: A Pizza Odyssey 1.0
Device: iOS Universal
Category: Games
Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes)
Description:
A game about delivering pizza. In space.
| Read more »

Chosen Gives Hopeful Singers, Songwriter...

If YouTube videos and reality TV shows like The Voice have taught us one thing, it’s that there are a lot of people out there who are anxious to show the world their talents. And if they’ve taught us a second thing, it’s that there’s an almost... | Read more »

Android's Popular OfficeSuite Now A...

Once only available for Android devices, OfficeSuite has finally landed on the app store. The Mobile Systems app lets you view, edit, create, and share Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents as well as convert them to/from PDFs. It's touted as being... | Read more »

Warhammer: Arcane Magic is Coming Soon,...

Turbo Tape Games has announced that they're joining forces with Games Workshop to bring the turn-based strategy board game, Warhammer: Arcane Magic, to life on the iOS.
| Read more »

Fast & Furious: Legacy's Creati...

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N-Fusion and 505's Ember is Totally...

| Read more »

These are All the Apple Watch Apps and G...

The Apple Watch is less than a month from hitting store shelves, and once you get your hands on it you're probably going to want some apps and games to install. Fear not! We've compiled a list of all the Apple Watch apps and games we've been able to... | Read more »

Appy to Have Known You - Lee Hamlet Look...

Being at 148Apps these past 2 years has been an awesome experience that has taught me a great deal, and working with such a great team has been a privilege. Thank you to Rob Rich, and to both Rob LeFebvre and Jeff Scott before him, for helping me... | Read more »

Hands-On With Allstar Heroes - A Promisi...

Let’s get this out of the way quickly. Allstar Heroes looks a lot like a certain other recent action RPG release, but it turns out that while it’s not yet available here, Allstar Heroes has been around for much longer than that other title. Now that... | Read more »

Macho Man and Steve Austin Join the Rank...

WWE Immortals, by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and WWE, has gotten a superstar update. You'll now have access to Macho Man Randy Savage and Steve Austin. Both characters have two different versions: Macho Man Randy Savage Renegade or Macho... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Adobe Brings Powerful Layout-Design Capabilit...

Adobe today announced the availability of Adobe Comp CC, a free iPad app that enables rapid creation of layout concepts for mobile, Web and print projects. With Comp CC, designers can rough out and... Read more

Apple offering refurbished 27-inch 5K iMacs f...

The Apple Store is offering Apple Certified Refurbished 27″ 3.5GHz 5K iMacs for $2119 including free shipping. Their price is $380 off the price of new models, and it’s the lowest price available for... Read more

16GB iPad mini on sale for $199, save $50

Walmart has 16GB iPad minis (1st generation) available for $199.99 on their online store, including free shipping. Their price is $50 off MSRP. Online orders only.
Read more

The Apple Store has Apple Certified Refurbished 13″ 2.6GHz/128GB Retina MacBook Pros available for $979 including free shipping. Original MSRP for this model was $1299.
Read more

Save up to $600 with Apple refurbished Mac Pr...

The Apple Store is offering Apple Certified Refurbished Mac Pros for up to $600 off the cost of new models. An Apple one-year warranty is included with each Mac Pro, and shipping is free. The... Read more

Samsung Galaxy S 6 and Galaxy S 6 edge U.S. P...

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. has announced the Galaxy S 6 and Galaxy S 6 edge will be available in the U.S. beginning April 10, with pre-orders being accepted now.
“We have completely reimagined... Read more

13-inch 2.5GHz MacBook Pro (refurbished) avai...

The Apple Store has Apple Certified Refurbished 13″ 2.5GHz MacBook Pros available for $829, or $270 off the cost of new models. Apple’s one-year warranty is standard, and shipping is free:
- 13″ 2.... Read more

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